Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears

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The Illes Balears team car, with Pinarello Opera bikes on top, with Campagnolo parts.

Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears (UCI Team Code: CEI) is professional road bicycle racing team, participating in the UCI ProTour. The team traces its history back to the Banesto (and later iBanesto.com) of 5-time Tour de France winner Miguel Induráin, 2-time winner of Vuelta a España Alex Zülle and legendary climber Jose Maria Jimenez. After the end of ibanesto.com sponsorship in 2003, the Illes Balears (Balearic Islands) tourism board took over sponsorship of the team. It is currently in the UCI ProTour.

The team traditionally has a strong Basque element, with general manager Jose Miguel Echavarri, and directeurs sportif Usebio Unzue Labiano, Jose Luis Jaimerena, and Alfonso Galilea Zurbano. Indeed, Induráin himself was the most famous Basque cyclist. However, it is nowhere as Basque as Euskaltel-Euskadi, which fields an all-Basque team.

In the 2005 Tour de France, the team included contenders Francisco Mancebo, formerly the National Champion of Spain, emerging talent Alejandro Valverde, 2004 white jersey winner for riders under 25, Vladimir Karpets, and sprinter Isaac Gálvez.

Prominent riders

Alejandro Valverde in the 2005 edition of the Tour de France.

CEI jersey for 2006